


All I've Ever Known

by Ihateswamps



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types
Genre: Angst, I am NOT manifesting Will dying in TON, Loss, M/M, Nico is trying to bring him back, Orpheus and Eurdydice AU, TW: Suicide Mention, Will is dead, sorry to orpheus but I'm different, very briefly
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-28
Updated: 2020-09-23
Packaged: 2021-03-06 20:40:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,709
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26165035
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ihateswamps/pseuds/Ihateswamps
Summary: After Will dies in a tragic accident, Nico travels to the underworld to try and bring him back.
Relationships: Nico di Angelo/Will Solace
Comments: 8
Kudos: 39





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Do you ever get tired of writing fluff and cute romances? Do you ever wanna just go feral?
> 
> (This is really sad lol you have been warned)

Nico couldn’t stop running over the day in his head. Everything happened so fast, he barely had any time to react. Even if he could have stopped it, there was no way for him to move fast enough.

Things had started like so many other camp activities. They were broken off into pairs for training drills in the woods. All of the campers were excited and anxious to get moving. Nico and Will had obviously paired up together. Nico carried his iron sword while Will had a bow and quiver of arrows slung over his shoulder. He was a better archer than he was a swordsman, but he still wasn’t nearly as good as Kayla or some of the other Apollo campers. Still, this was a battle training drill so he would need to have some sort of defense weapon, even if he never used it. 

As they sat in lines waiting to head into the woods, Will was playfully teasing Nico, messing with pieces of his hair as they fell into his face. Nico laughed and swatted his hand away. Will had always loved playing with Nico’s long hair so he was used to it at this point. Chiron sat at the edge of the woods before giving a signal to begin the training. 

Once they got into the woods things quickly took a turn for the worst. No one had expected that a Drakon would have made it into camp. It must have come through the Labyrinth, that’s the only way a monster that powerful could have made it through the camp’s protection. Nico and Will heard it before they saw it. There was a large ‘hiss’ followed by a heavy movement that rattled the ground around them. 

“What was that?” Will asked, grabbing Nico’s hand. 

“I don’t know.” Nico muttered, “But it sounds big.”

The two of them started moving in the opposite direction of the noise, hoping to remain as far away from the source as possible. After a few moments there was another ‘hiss,’ much closer this time. Nico swung his head in the direction of the sound, seeing only a flash of scales. Nico immediately recognized the monster, and he knew it was definitely not part of the training. 

“We need to get out of here.” Nico whispered. He gripped Will’s hand tighter and quickly pulled them both into the shadows. Once they had made it through the shadow jump they were left in a dark stone corridor, with no indication of where exactly they were. 

“This isn’t right.’ Nico said, “We were supposed to end up back at camp.”

“Is this the Labyrinth?” Will asked. They were both shaking at this point. 

“I think so. But why did the shadows bring us here?”

There was a deep rumbling sound coming from the end of the corridor. It became clear that the creature had somehow followed them, which meant they were still close to camp, relative to the Labyrinth at least. The sound slowly started to feel closer. Nico knew he didn’t have enough energy to shadow travel again so soon.

“Run.” Nico said. Him and Will quickly took off into a sprint in the other direction. They dropped each other’s hands as they ran. They made their way to an intersection of the Labyrinth. The passage forked off in two directions. Nico pulled Will to the left and saw a doorway on the side of the wall. It wasn’t the smartest idea, but it might have been their only hope. He quickly pulled open the door, revealing another darker passage. He turned back to Will, who was standing motionless in the middle of the corridor. 

He had made the mistake of looking back for a moment, and the Drakon had paralyzed him with it’s gaze. 

“Will!” Nico screamed. He left the doorway and ran to Will’s side. The Drakon was moving towards them from the end of the hall. Nico attempted to drag Will through the door but he wouldn’t budge. He knew he wouldn’t be able to carry him, Will was taller and weighed a good bit more than he did. As the Drakon got closer Nico stepped in front of Will and drew his sword. He knew the idea of one demigod taking down a Drakon on their own was insane, but he had no choice. 

Looking anywhere but the creature’s eyes, he charged with his sword held high. In one stroke the monster swung its head at Nico, flinging him against the stone wall of the Labyrinth. Nico took only a moment to get his bearings but by the time he stood up again he saw the creature dragging Will further down the Labyrinth. 

Nico let out a choked scream as he ran after the Drakon, but only a moment after the monster turned down another corridor he felt it. 

Nico was overwhelmed by the sudden and indescribable feeling only children of Hades could understand. He felt a deep swell in the pit of his stomach and it was everything he could do to keep from throwing up. He slumped against the floor of the Labyrinth, without enough energy to care if the creature was going to return. He couldn’t help the sobs that came from deep in his throat. He felt his vision tunnel and he knew. 

Will was dead. 

~~~

Once Nico had regained enough strength, he shadow traveled back to camp. This time he ended up exactly where he was supposed to, at the edge of the forest overlooking the dining pavilion and cabins. Nico once again fell to the ground. 

There was a large group that had gathered, with worried looks on their faces. He wasn’t sure exactly how long he’d been gone but from the size of the crowd it was clearly long enough that they were gathering a search party. Several people ran up to Nico looking relieved to see him, but as they noticed he was alone their expressions turned deadly grim. 

Kayla and Austin pushed their way to the front of the crowd and stood above Nico. They both looked down at him and he couldn’t do anything but shake his head. Kayla choked back a sob and Austin held his hand over his mouth. 

“H–he’s not?” Kayla stuttered. 

Nico looked at her with dark, swollen eyes.“He’s gone.” He choked. As he said it he felt a wave of darkness radiating off of him. The grass and flowers at his knees turned black and wilted. He felt the ground beneath him cracking and it took all his will to keep from tearing the ground apart against his own will. 

Kayla and Austin both broke into tears, and several gasps and cries cut through the crowd. Chiron eventually pushed his way forward and knelt down in front of Nico. 

“I’m so sorry. I need you to tell me what happened.” He said. 

Nico willed himself to stand and Chiron led him back to the big house. 

After he had explained it all to Chiron, Nico felt the shock leave his body and true sadness set in. He’s gone. Really gone. Nico thought. He had known the second he was paralyzed that there was almost nothing he could do, but as soon as he felt his death Nico wanted to hunt down the creature and rip it’s head off himself. 

“I cannot say why that creature was here.” Chiron said, “You were right in assuming it came from the Labyrinth, there’s no other way it could have made it past the barrier.”

“Why did it only want him?” Nico said. “I tried to fight and it hardly even looked at me. It only went after him”

Chiron’s brows furrowed and he pursed his lips. “We cannot understand the intentions of monsters. We can only know what they do and not why they do it. But it seems this Drakon was fairly unambitious. From your account, and the other’s who also spotted it, it was smaller and more juvenile. It’s likely once Mr. Solace was paralyzed he was–he must have seemed like an easy target.” From the tone in which he said it, it was clear that Chiron wished three was a better way to put it, one that didn’t make it seem like Will was a weak prey animal, but he could not find better words. 

“He was a healer.” Nico said, “He wasn’t trained as a fighter. I should have been able to protect him. I turned my back on him. It’s my fault he’s gone.”

“You cannot blame yourself.” Chiron said, placing a hand on Nico’s shoulder. “You did your best, you tried to fight and protect him. Even a small Drakon is a nearly impossible advisory for a single demigod. We should be thankful that you are alive.”

Nico didn’t say it outloud, but he thought it; _I wish I was in his place. I should have been the one it killed._

After he left the big house most of the other campers could hardly meet his eye. It was as if he had absorbed the Drakon’s power to paralyze people with a single look. He walked past the cabin’s where the other Apollo kids were gathered around their cabin’s porch. 

“Nico.” Austin called. He walked over to meet him where he stood with the others. 

“Um, we wanted to know if you will help with the funeral rites.” Austin said, “We’re going to burn Will’s shroud tonight, after dinner.”

Nico looked inside the cabin and saw a large piece of flannel fabric, matching the shirts that Will often wore. He felt another tug of sadness in his stomach. He nearly fell over but forced himself to remain standing. 

“Yes, of course I will help.” Nico said. Austin forced a small smile and returned to the group.

Nico made his way to his cabin and slammed the door behind him. Looking at the statue of his father he suddenly felt angry in a way that he had not since Bianca’s death, as if it was his fault that Nico had to suffer so deeply. He wanted to throw something, to knock something over, and tear his cabin apart. He knew this would not bring him anything, he had done the anger and the violence thing before and he knew that once it was done they were still gone and you were forced to sleep in a room you destroyed. 

Nico wasn’t at dinner that night. He only came out of his cabin to perform the funeral rights. He offered an offering to the gods in ancient Greek as they burned Will’s shroud in the fire. Out of the corner of his eye he could see Hestia sitting at the edge of the flame. She looked at Nico with warm but sad eyes and he simply nodded to her before returning to his cabin. 

~~~  
Nico slept through breakfast the next morning. By the time he woke up the sun was sitting high in the sky. The light burned his eyes as it streamed in through the window. He was once again angry. Apollo, the god of the sun, likely did not even mourn his own son’s death. The sun still shone as bright as ever. It seemed wrong that a day could be that beautiful. 

“You probably didn’t even care.” Nico muttered out the window, knowing Apollo probably couldn’t even hear him. 

“You’re wrong.” A voice said. 

Nico jumped and turned to find a young handsome man leaning against the wall at the other side of his cabin. 

“Apollo?” Nico asked, wondering if he was still dreaming.

“In the flesh. Kind of. I don’t know if gods really have ‘flesh’ per-se.” Apollo mumbled as he spoke, “But yes it is me.”

“Why are you here?” Nico asked grimly. 

“You know why.” Apollo said. A look of sadness flashed over his eyes. 

Nico stared at the ground for a moment. “I didn’t think you cared.” He muttered. 

“I’ve been attempting to take a greater interest in my children.” Apollo said, “It was never that I didn’t care, I care deeply. It’s just that sometimes I lose track of time and don’t call for a couple hundred years. But I do care. You gave Will a beautiful funeral rite.”

Nico looked at the floor, “I wish that I didn’t need to.”

A look of sympathy passed over Apollo’s face. “I know it’s hard.” Apollo said, “That’s why I came to you. I know what it is like to lose a lover. And even though, no offense, I don’t understand exactly what about your ‘angry goth attitude’ attracted my son, what you two had is special. I frequently thought of how much you two reminded me of myself and my dear Hycinthius. I wanted to offer you my sympathies.”

Nico was shocked hearing this from Apollo, even with the few backhanded compliments peppered in, the sentiment was really special. “Thank you.” Nico said. “That means a lot.”

“I know it does.” Apollo said with his usual godly arrogance. Even in grief he was still as prideful as ever. “I remember paying a visit to my pupil, Orpheus, after he lost his dear wife Eurydice. I have never heard a song as tragic as the one he sang that day.”

At the mention of Orpheus Nico’s attention piqued. He turned again to Apollo who was now pulling a violin out of his pocket, literally the world's smallest violin, and playing it with a sincerity that made Nico want to fall to his knees and weep. But he continued to think of Orpheus. 

He was normally very bad with remembering specific stories, there’s so many it’s easy to lose track, but he remembered that Orpheus walked into the underworld to try and save his true love. Nico had heard his father mention that story several times. After a moment of thought he hatched a plan so crazy he could barely say it out loud. 

_I’ve done it before._ He thought. _I brought Hazel back. And yes, the doors of death are closed, but that might not be the only way out._

Nico knew he needed to act quickly, he wanted to find Will before he faced judgement. He also knew that if he was too late and Will chose to be reborn, this would all be for nothing. 

Apollo was still playing a tune on his pocket violin. As he reached the end of the melody he quickly stowed the instrument again. 

“I must leave you now, Mr. Di Anegelo. I hope you know you have my greatest sympathies.” Apollo said. 

“Thank you.” Nico muttered again, though now his mind was entirely elsewhere. 

“You should close your eyes, son of Hades.” Apollo said. Nico obeyed and even with his eyes closed he felt the bright light of Apollo ascending to his true form. 

Once he opened his eyes again, Nico was once again left alone in his cabin. 

~~~  
After Nico got dressed he quickly walked to the pavilion. He saw a group of Apollo kids with sad looks on their faces sitting at a table. Kayla turned to Nico as he approached. She gave him a sad smile and he sat down across from her. 

Nico had spent enough time with the Apollo cabin; he was essentially another one of them at this point. They invited him to do activities together and he ate most of his meals with them when Jason wasn’t at camp. But even knowing all of them so well, it still felt wrong for him to be there without Will next to him. 

While the others were wrapped up in conversation Nico turned to Kayla, leaning in close. 

“I’m leaving camp.” He muttered to her. 

Kayla gave him a sad look. “You can’t just run away again.”

“I’m not. I–I’m going to do something” Nico mumbled. 

Kayla pursed her lips. She had a look of concern on her face but didn’t vocalize it. “Why are you telling me this?”

“I want you to cover for me. If Chiron asks, say I am going to New Rome to visit Hazel.”

This didn’t ease her concern in the slightest, but she subtly nodded. Nico thanked her and quickly stood, walking back to his cabin. 

He gathered all of the things he might need: a few changes of clothes, some ambrosia and nectar, and his iron sword. He stuffed them all into his worn out backpack and a moment later, disappeared into the shadows.  
~~~  
Nico appeared in the middle of Central Park. He knew exactly where he needed to go. He had taken this entrance to the underworld many times. Going through it now it had a new weight, the same entrance Orpheus took to retrieve his lover, and now Nico returned in an attempt to do the same. He walked over the large rocks obscuring the entrance.  
“Going somewhere?” 

Nico jumped and turned towards the voice. He saw Percy standing over him on one of the rocks. Nico glared at him, he knew that he was going to try and stop him. 

“What are you doing here?” Nic snapped. 

Percy didn’t have any malice on his face. Instead he just looked sadly empathetic. 

“Chiron told me what happened. He sent me an Iris message this morning. He thought you might leave camp again and wanted me to look out for you.”

Nico felt another swell of anger. He wanted to scream at Percy but he stopped himself. 

“I don’t need you to babysit me.” Nico growled. 

“I know that.” Percy said, “I’m not going to. I just want to make sure you don’t do anything dangerous.”

“Why did you come here?” Nico asked. 

“Cause I figured you would.” Percy answered. “I remembered where it was from when you took me to Styx.”

“You’re not going to stop me.” Nico said. “I know what I’m doing.”

“You should know more than anyone that death isn’t something you can fight.” Percy said, “Think about what Bianca said, she knew you can’t try and bring people back like this.”

“Don’t talk about Bianca with me.” Nico snapped, “You know that was different, she knew what she was doing. She died protecting your ass. W–Will…” Nico’s voice broke, “He died because of me. He died because I didn’t protect him.” 

Percy walked down the rocks to meet Nico where he stood. “I can’t stop you. Even if I tried, you're stronger than me and you know it.” Percy choked out a laugh, though Nico didn’t find any of this funny. “If you’re going to do this, you need to understand what you’re doing.”

“I do understand.” Nico said, “I’m the only one who understands. I’m the one who had to feel him die. I know what happens to souls, and I know what it feels like to forget your life. I know why I have to do this.”

Percy pursed his lips. He stared at Nico intently. “Don’t let yourself get killed. Will wouldn’t have wanted that.”

Nico glared into Percy’s eyes. _How dare he assume he knows anything about what Will would have wanted?_ Nico stood up and pushed past Percy, walking towards the entrance to the underworld. 

“Nico, please be careful.” Percy called after him. Nico didn’t bother turning back, he didn’t owe Percy and response. This had nothing to do with him and he shouldn’t have tried to insert himself. 

Nico used his power to feel the entrance. As it opened to him he took a deep breath and stepped inside. He was overwhelmed with the familiar cool air of the underworld. He was in the domain of his father.


	2. Chapter 2

Nico was obviously no stranger to the underworld. He knew exactly where he needed to go. But even with the knowledge of how to navigate his father’s domain, he still felt the anxiety creeping in at the edges of his psyche. He knew that he needed to find Will before he faced judgement. Nico couldn’t be sure that Will’s soul would be allowed in Elysium, his death wasn’t exactly ‘heroic’. Even with all he did to heal others in battle, oftentimes the judgements were less than fair, only looking at very specific ideas of heroism. 

Nico knew that if Will was judged and sent to Asphodel there would be nearly no chance of him finding him. By the time Nico would have been able to scour the fields looking for him, Will would have already forgotten his life, and there would be nothing left of him to bring back. Nico couldn’t let that happen. 

He was faced with the daunting task of pushing through the crowds lined up for judgement and praying to the gods that he wasn’t too late. 

Nico walked the darkened paths of the underworld. He kept turning to look back, making sure that he wasn’t being followed. Eventually he made his way to the banks of the Styx. Normally when he was here he could call Charon or another one of his father’s followers to help him cross, but he knew he couldn’t risk someone finding him before he was ready. He took a deep breath and stepped into the shadows, reappearing on the opposite bank of the Styx. He swayed slightly as he regained his balance after traveling.

After having only a moment to get his bearings Nico spotted movement out of the corner of his eye. He turned quickly and saw a flash of darkness. He drew his sword as the creature fluttered towards him in a spiral of midnight. He quickly recognized the creature as the fury Alecto, though he did not immediately put his sword away. 

“Should I tell your father you have come to pay him a visit.” Alecto hissed. 

“No. He doesn’t know I’m here.” Nico said, “And he’s not going to find out until I want him to.”

“I’m not sure he’d like it if he found out his favorite son is up to something.” The fury said with a harsh look in her eye. 

“I don’t care.” Nico said, “He’s not going to stop me. You are going to let me past and go on as if you never saw me here.”

“Hmm… your visit wouldn’t have anything to do with that Apollo boy, would it?” Alecto taunted.

Nico felt his breath catch in his throat. A wave of anger and sadness washed over him. _How dare she mock him. She serves his father._

“You don’t know anything about why I’m here.” Nico snapped. 

“Ah, but I think I do.” She mocked, “You’re not the first to try, and you surely won’t be the last. For centuries people have had the naive idea that love can defeat death. Death is inevitable and immovable. Even you, son of Hades, still must adhere to the laws of the world. You might have gotten lucky with your sister, but the doors of death are closed, and your plans are doomed to fail.”

Nico’s rage boiled like a cauldron in his stomach. He wanted to kill the fury on the spot. To send her to Tartarus and show her that she should never doubt him again. But he knew that if he did his father would find out he was here, and he couldn’t have that. Not yet. 

“I’m not going to listen to you.” Nico growled. 

“They never do.” Alecto feigned a sigh, “I am in no position to stop you. Your father will find out eventually, and I would like no part in this dispute. But do not say I did not warn you.”

The fury flapped her leathery wings and fluttered into the dark caverns of the underworld. 

Nico was left standing alone, his dark sword still drawn. He quickly put it away and marched further into the underworld. 

~~~

Nico eventually found what he was looking for. He crawled to the top of a black stone hill overlooking the fields of Asphodel. Beyond that he could see the crowds of souls lining up to face judgement. At the head of the crowd he spots Minos and the other judges. He shuddered when he remembers the way he let himself get manipulated by that man after Bianca’s death. Though he would never say it out loud, he worried his own history with Minos might affect the judgement his loved ones might receive. He wasn't exactly anxious to find out if his worries are justified.

He quietly slipped through the fields, making his way to the crowd. He drifted in between various spirits, souls crowded in like sardines, as they look around nervously searching for their loved ones they left behind. 

Nico had never pitied the dead, it is worthless to try and offer them any kind of sympathies. But as he looked upon countless faces as they slowly realized how alone they are, he felt twinge of sadness that was difficult to shake. 

Nico closed his eyes, reaching out with his power, in an attempt to find Will. He hoped that he could sense him the way he does when he summons the spirits of the dead. If he could just sense his presence then he would know there is a chance he can find him. 

As Nico's power grew he was surrounded by a field of darkness. He could sense the uneasiness of those souls closest to him. To them he is a cloud of darkness and death, not unlike the way others felt when around his father. 

As he continued reaching out he felt a tug, like a fish pulling on a line. He could hear the faintest cry, like a whisper from across a busy street. But as far away as it sounded Nico could hear it clear as day. 

“Nico, I’m here.”

Nico turned in the direction of the voice. Through the crowd of souls he could see a faint light glowing the smallest bit brighter than the rest. If not for the souls pushing roughly against him he would have sprinted. He shoved his way through the crowd and as he got closer he could hear the voice growing louder in his ears. 

“What happened? Why are we here?”

Nico could feel tears stinging at the corners of his eyes. By the time he reached the voice he is nearly sobbing. He finally pushed past a spirit and saw the outline of Will’s golden hair against the backdrop of the dark obsidian of the underworld. 

He reached out and grabbed Will by the face. It is was if Will became solid in his hands. Suddenly his features were more defined, color returned to his face, and he began to look just slightly more human than the rest of the souls around them. 

“I can’t believe I did it!” Nico sobbed. He pressed a kiss to Will's lips, though it still felt like he is kissing a memory. It is clear that Will is still not entirely alive. He radiates no warmth, no strength. He was as cool as the air around him, and occasionally his features would again slipped out of focus. Nico grabbed his arm but was able to hold it for only a moment before it slipped through his hand like smoke. 

“What is going on?” Will asked. His voice still felt far away. It’s almost as if it was coming from somewhere else, instead of the figure standing in front of Nico. 

“I’m so sorry.” Nico cried, grasping at the front of Will’s chest. “I tried to protect you, but it was too fast. I couldn’t fight it.”

Will looked confused for a moment. He looked around as if he was only just now noticing his surroundings.

“Am I… in the underworld?” Will stuttered. As the words leave his lips he became just slightly more transparent. 

“I’m going to get you out. I’m going to bring you back.” Nico said. He grabbed Will’s hands and gripped them, as if willing them to remain solid. 

Will looked down at himself. He saw the gray tinge to his skin and the translucent hue that allows him to see Nico’s fingers through his palms. 

“I–uh–I don’t remember anything.” Will said, stumbling over his words. 

“That doesn’t matter. I’ll explain everything once you’re back at camp.”

Nico looked around. In their distraction the two of them had allowed themselves to be dragged along with the flow of the crowd, drawing closer to the gates of judgement. Nico felt a rise of panic once he noticed that they were within eyeshot of Minos and the other judges. 

“Follow me. We need to get out of here.” Nico said. 

He pulled Will along with him but it felt like he’s pulling a cloud. Will’s hand kept slipping through his grasp and he had to turn around and grab him again and gain as they walked. 

The two of them pushed through the crowds like fish swimming upstream. Eventually they reached the banks of the river Lethe. Nico could see Charon guiding another group of souls along a boat towards the crowd. Nico gestured for Will to follow him upstream, in the opposite direction of Charon and the crowds. The two of them walked along the river bank towards the outskirts of the underworld. 

“Nico,” Will said. “You’re shaking.”

Nico looked down at his hands. They were trembling worse than usual. He hadn’t realized how tired he was. On top of his journey to the underworld, he had hardly eaten or slept since Will’s death. It’s a miracle he hadn’t collapsed from exhaustion already. 

“I’m fine.” Nico said.

“No, you’re not.” Will said calmly. “You should sit down.”

Nico turned to see the look on Will’s face. Even through the misty haze he could make out the look of concern. As soon as he saw it Nico felt as if he’d taken a blow to the stomach. As if his body was acting against him he collapsed onto a large rock near the bank of the river. Will reached out to try and catch him but Nico just slipped through his hands. 

“What is going on?” Will asked, kneeling down at Nico’s side. “What happened?”

Nico spun his skull ring around in his finger.

“I tried to save you.” He said, looking down at the ground. “During the war games, a Drakon snuck into camp. No one saw it coming. I tried to get us out b–but it was like I couldn’t control the shadows. They brought us into the Labyrinth. The Drakon followed us and…” Nico trailed off. He couldn't bring himself to tell Will that he watched him die. 

“So, I am dead?” Will said it as a question, but he clearly knew the answer.

“Yes.”

“And that’s why you’re here?” Will said, “You said you were going to bring me back?”

“Yes.” Nico said. He grabbed Will’s hand and forced them to become solid in his touch. “I’ve done it before, with Hazel. I know I can do it. I need to do it.”

Will’s eyes had a distant sadness. He looked out over the river Lethe. 

“I trust you, Nico.” He said after a moment. 

Nico smiled and brought Will’s hand to his lips, placing several soft kisses on his knuckles. 

“I’m so sorry I couldn’t save you the first time.” Nico said, his eyes burning, “I love you.”

“I love you too, Ghost Boy.” Will smiled at him. “Though I guess technically I’m the ‘ghost boy’ now.”

Nico felt himself laughing, resonating from deep in his chest. 

“We need to get moving.” Nico said. 

“No.” Will said, “Not yet. You need to rest a bit longer.” Will had a strange look on his face as he said this, but Nico ultimately agreed with him. He slumped against the rock he was laying on and felt Will’s soft touch brush against his cheek. 

Will leaned down and wrapped his arms around Nico. He felt almost entirely solid as he pressed himself into Nico, letting his head rest against Nico’s neck. Nico expected to feel Will’s breath against his ears but it never came. He still reached out to Will and let his arms hold Will close to him by the waist. 

Will’s ghostly lips pressed against Nico’s jaw and Nico felt tears rolling down the side of his face. 

“Just a bit longer.” Will sighed as he held Nico close.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the longer-than-usual update time. I just started classes again so I'm not able to write as frequently. But I hope y'all enjoy this! 
> 
> Comments/Kudos are greatly appreciated!


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (TW: Suicide mention. Very brief, but still proceed with caution)

Nico isn’t sure how long he laid on those rocks with Will. He might have fallen asleep for a bit, but even if he did, he was certainly no less tired. Will was still wrapped around him, pressing his face into the crook of Nico’s neck. 

The longer Will sat with him, the more solid he felt. Nico could almost feel warmth radiating off of Wills body, but it was still so faint he’s sure if he were not a child of Hades he would not have noticed it. 

Will’s eyes were shut tight. Nico could almost see traces of tears running down his freckled cheeks, but they looked faded against his pale skin. 

Nico gently reached up and pushed Will’s hair away from his face. Will opened his eyes and leaned back so he could look at Nico. 

“We need to get moving.” Nico said quietly. 

Will took a deep breath, but no air moved to his lungs. “Okay.” He said after a moment. 

The two of them stood up, and Nico quickly took stock of their surroundings. They were far enough away from the palace of Hades that they were in no danger of being spotted by any of his father’s guards. Nico could lead him back the way he came, but he knew he would risk being seen by Alecto or one of the other furies. Plus, he would need to shadow travel over the river Styx again, and he couldn’t bring Will with him while he was still a ghost.

He suddenly realized how little he’d thought this through, and started to feel panic creeping into the edges of his psyche. Will looked at his face with a concerned expression, and reached out to grab Nico’s hand. 

“What are you thinking?” Will asked.

Nico hesitated for a moment before speaking. “I don’t want to go to my dad. He wouldn’t be any help. We can walk upstream along the Styx, but we need to find a way across, without shadow travel.” 

“Okay.” Will said. He quickly glanced back in the direction of Asphodel “I trust you. I’ll follow you wherever we need to go.”

Nico smiled and squeezed Wills hand gently. “I missed you.” He said. Will offered him a smile in return. 

The two of them turned and began walking along the river. Nico hoped that as they walked he would be able to figure out exactly how he could get them both out. But he knew they would cross that bridge when they came to it. Right now the most important thing is moving, they’d already risked too much by staying in one place as long as they did. 

~~~

Nico had never known what it was like to feel lost in the underworld. This was a place he had grown to almost consider a home at certain points in time. But before he could turn to his father, or one of his followers, or even his ghost chauffeur that he’d gotten for his birthday. But now he couldn’t get help from any of them. He was truly alone in the underworld for the first time. 

Not alone. Every time he felt his mind wander he would squeeze Will’s hand and turn to remind himself that he had him. _As long as I get him out, then it will all be okay._

Even as Nico walked, he knew he was no closer to solving their problems. He still had no way across the river, and no real plan to get back to the gate with Will next to him. He was starting to feel a sense of deep hopelessness that he tried to bury deep in his stomach. He wasn’t going to let himself think of that. He knew he would find a way to get Will back, he needed to. 

After what felt like miles of walking Nico felt a deep tremble shaking in his stomach. He was suddenly on edge, and he reached to grab the hilt of his sword. 

“What is it?” Will asked. 

Nico scanned their surroundings, and soon he realized exactly why he felt so anxious. Just across the river was a deep cliff that he instantly knew led down to Tartarus. 

Nico stowed his sword and pointed in the direction of the cliff. “Tartarus.”

Will’s eyes went wide and he turned to look. “Just… right there?” He said, “I always thought it was in the deepest and darkest pits of the underworld.”

“There are several entrances in the underworld, and even a few on Earth.” Nico said,

 _Di Angelo._ A voice resonated in Nico’s head. Nico knew right away it was the voice of Tartarus, taunting him. _You think I have no power. I could pluck that helpless soul you’re with right out of the underworld if I so choose._ Nico knew he was lying, that Tartarus had no way to control the souls of mortals, but he still felt the dark energy reaching out to him. 

Nico suddenly started shaking. “No.” He said, “You’re just trying to get in my head again!” Will reached out and grabbed at Nico’s shoulders. 

“What’s going on? Are you okay?” Will asked with a panicked look in his eyes. 

_Tell him, Nico. Tell him that his soul belongs to me and there’s nothing you can do about it_

Nico was so overwhelmed he was starting to cry. He felt his anger welling in his stomach and almost wanted to go jump down the cliff and kill Tartarus himself. He instantly remembered the horrors he experienced there, and wanted to get back at the god for everything he’d put him through. 

His face was red with anger and fear and he could feel his heart rate growing faster by the second. Will reached out and touched the side of Nico’s cheek, brushing his long hair out of his eyes. Nico forced himself to calm down. He continued to hear the taunting voice of Tartarus in his head and reminded himself that he had no power outside of his domain, and that all of this was just meant to get into his head and drive him insane. Tartarus was trying to use his own fatal flaw against him and make him act rashly out of anger, but Nico wasn’t going to let him have that control over him. 

“We should get out of here.” Will said, “Away from… that.” He looked back at the cliff. Nico could see in his eyes that even if Will couldn’t hear the voice of Tartarus, he could sense the power and evil that radiated from the place. 

“I agree.” Nico said. He walked in the opposite direction of the cliff, and led Will further up the river. 

~~~

The longer they walked the more lost Nico felt. He knew they were going in the right direction, but somehow it was as if the entire landscape of the underworld began to blend together in his head. The endless fields of granite and slate seemed to look both entirely familiar and utterly foreign. Nico was beginning to think that the mist used to keep souls from wandering the outskirts of the underworld were starting to affect him in ways it never had before. He couldn’t be sure if it was due to his exhaustion or simply his vicinity to Will’s soul. 

After what felt like days wandering the underworld, Nico and Will finally stumbled back upon the familiar path towards the exit. As they approached the edge of the underworld, the two boys were once again reminded of their predicament regarding the uncrossable river. 

“Nico,” Will said, clearly seeing the anxious look on the son of Hades’ face. “What are you going to do?”

Nico looked down at the ground. “I don’t know.” He muttered. Nico was so frustrated he could scream. It was so unfair that the exit was so close, and he could easily walk straight to it, if not for a few dozen feet of cursed waters. Nico balled his hands into fists and kicked a large rock into the river. It landed with a large splash and he had to jump back to avoid getting hit with water. 

Will stepped towards him and wrapped his arms around Nico’s waist from behind. Nico took a deep breath as he felt Wills hair tickling the side of his face. 

“You shouldn’t get angry.” Will said softly. “It’s alright.”

Nico had to stop a wave of rage that almost made him throw Will off of his back. “It’s not alright.” He said desperately. “I promised I’d get you out. I don’t know what I’m supposed to do.” The corners of Nico’s eyes stung as he felt tears welling up. 

Will spun Nico around so he could face him. “You’re going to be okay.” He pulled Nico into a soft kiss. He whispered against Nico’s lips, “You can’t keep every promise.”

Nico froze and pushed Will away. “What is that supposed to mean?” Nico said, too harshly. 

Will looked at Nico with so much sympathy it burned. “Nico, I love you. You are the strongest demigod I’ve ever met. But even you can’t…” He trailed off, but he didn’t need to finish for Nico to understand what he meant. 

Nico grabbed at Will’s hands again. “I told you, I did it before, with Hazel.” 

“This is different.” Will said, “The Doors of Death are closed now.”

“I will break them down myself if that’s what it takes.” Nico radiated with shadows, like he was a black hole swallowing all the light around him. 

“Nico please.” Will pleaded, “I don’t want you to kill yourself.”

Nico suddenly felt a wave of emotion rush over him. This hadn’t been the first time Will had said those words to him. Between the usual dangers of being a demigod, and Nico’s own internal struggles, he had spent a lot of time under the assumption he wasn’t going to live to see adulthood. Hearing the desperation in Will’s voice forced him to think back to all the times when Will had said he went to sleep shaking with worry that Nico wouldn’t be there when he woke up. 

Nico couldn’t stop the tears that fell from his eyes. He pulled Will close and buried his face in the crook of his neck. 

“I’m going to get out, I’m going to get both of us out.” He sobbed into Will's shoulder, “I’m sorry… for everything.”

Will wrapped his arms around Nico and placed several soft kisses on his head, burrowing his nose in the nest of dark hair. 

“You never need to be sorry.” Will said.

Nico pressed himself closer into Will’s chest. He wished he could feel his heartbeat, or hear the rise and fall of his lungs, but there was nothing. He wanted to be able to feel the smoldering heat that Will radiated. As kind as this moment felt, it was a harsh reminder of the tragedy of their circumstance. 

“I’m going to go to my dad.” Nico said finally. “I don’t know how much help he’ll be, but it’s our best shot.”

“Okay.” Will said, “I’ll follow you.”

Nico pulled away and turned to walk back in the direction of his father’s kingdom. 

“Ah, finally. It was only a matter of time.”

Nico jumped as he heard the voice, and turned to once again see Alecto. It was as if she materialized from thin air. 

“I’m surprised you made it this far honestly.” Alecto sighed. “I’ve been trailing you since you two snuck out of line and I gotta say, you do make quite the couple.”

Nico drew his sword. “What do you mean? You’ve been following us?”

“Of course I’ve been following you. Your daddy told me to look after you as soon as he spotted you sneaking through Asphodel. He figured you were up to something. But I was told not to get involved unless you did something crazy, or needed his help. Well it looks like you went with option B”

“I don’t need you to babysit me every time I’m here!” Nico said harshly. 

“Well obviously you do, since you were just planning on running back to daddy and asking him for help. I’m only here to give you a quick ride back. Then he can take care of this mess.”

“I can find my way back on my own, okay!” Nico said. As he spoke he felt a gentle pressure on his arm and turned to see Will looking at him. 

“Nico, let’s let her help.” Will said, “She works for your dad. If she’s just gonna help us get back, what's the harm?” 

“Wow.” Alecto chuckled. “Cute _and smart._ I can see why you’re so eager to get this boy back.”

As much as Nico hated to admit it, Will was right. Even though he hardly trusted any of the furies, he knew that they ultimately did serve his father. If his dad was expecting him than Alecto knew she couldn’t do anything to him. 

“Okay. We’ll come with you.” Nico mumbled. 

“Perfect!” Alecto said, feigning glee. “Hold on to your boyfriend, son of Hades.”

Nico grabbed Will and held him close. Alecto swooped overhead and grabbed them both by the shoulders, carrying them off like they were nothing. 

Nico hated flying. It reminded him of all of the times when he would argue with his dad, only to have the god call upon one of his many monster servants to pick Nico up and toss him back on the overworld. 

Nico focused on the feeling of Wills chest against his as they drifted over the fields of the underworld, towards his father’s domain. He didn’t know why he bothered praying now, but he couldn’t help it. He called to any god he knew, hoping that one of them could help convince his father to let Will leave with him.


End file.
